Freehold Purchase & Leasehold Purchase

Freehold Purchase

Our fees cover all of the work* required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales. The example fees below are based on a freehold purchase for £200000. Please note that you will always be provided with a bespoke quote by John Fowlers LLP based upon your individual circumstances.

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

Legal fee £600

Search fees £159.67 (approx)

HM Land Registry fee £135

Electronic money transfer fee £35

VAT payable £158.93

Estimated total: £1088.60

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website here. If this is your only property, and it is in England, at a purchase price of £200000 the Stamp Duty will be £1500

Estimated overall total including Stamp Duty or Land Tax £2588.60

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 10-12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 4 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process:

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. The following steps represent a typical, straightforward freehold purchase.

Take your instructions and give you initial advice

Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed

Receive and advise on contract documents

Carry out searches

Obtain further planning documentation if required

Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor

Give you advice on all documents and information received

Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you

Send final contract to you for signature

Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)

Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened

Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you

Complete purchase

Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax

Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

* Our fee assumes that:

You are purchasing a property for £200000.

this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction

the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise

all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation

Leasehold Purchase

Our fees cover all the work* required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property is in Wales. The example fees below are based on a leasehold purchase for £200000. Please note that you will always be provided with a bespoke quote by John Fowlers LLP based upon your individual circumstances.

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

Legal fee £695

Fee for acting on behalf of the mortgage lender £0

Search fees £159.67 (approx)

HM Land Registry fee £135

Electronic money transfer fee £35

VAT payable £177.93

Estimated total: £1202.60

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. There are certain disbursements which will be set out in the individual lease relating to the Property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease from the seller's solicitors.

Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £60-150

Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £60-150.

Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £100 and £200.

Certificate of Compliance fee - To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £100 – £200.

*These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.

You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website. If this is your only property, and it is in England, at a purchase price of £200000 the Stamp Duty will be £1500.

Grand total £2702.60 plus anticipated disbursements which will generally be between £320 and £700 (The sums charged for these are not under the control of John Fowlers LLP).

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold property vary according to the circumstances. The following steps represent a typical leasehold purchase.

Take your instructions and give you initial advice

Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed

Receive and advise on contract documents

Carry out searches

Obtain further planning documentation if required

Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor

Give you advice on all documents and information received

Go through conditions of mortgage offer

Send final contract to you for signature

Draft Transfer

Advise you on joint ownership

Obtain pre-completion searches

Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)

Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened

Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you

Complete purchase

Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax

Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 10-12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 4 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

* Our fee assumes that:

you are purchasing a leasehold property for £200000

this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction

this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease

the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise

all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation

no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Who will conduct my work?

We have a large team of experienced Conveyancers at John Fowlers LLP. Your work will be carried out by one of the following people.

Kim Kennedy. Kim is the Senior Partner of the firm and qualified as a Solicitor in 1981. He has a wide range of legal experience and is an expert in Commercial and Residential Conveyancing.Hollie McGuckin. Hollie is a Solicitor and Partner in the firm and is the Head of the Conveyancing department. She qualified in 1999 and specialises in all areas of Residential Conveyancing.Marjorie Robinson. Marjorie is a Solicitor and Partner in the firm and is based at our Brightlingsea office. She qualified in 1993 and is a specialist in Residential Conveyancing.Alison Clark. Alison is a Solicitor and qualified in 2005. She is also a specialist in Residential Conveyancing.Sarah King. Sarah is a Solicitor and is also a Licenced Conveyancer. She specialises in Residential Conveyancing and has a particular expertise in new build properties.Ben Carver. Ben is a Solicitor and qualified in 2017. Ben deals with both Residential and Commercial Conveyancing.Chris Meadows. Chris is a Solicitor having qualified in 2018. Chris deals with Residential Conveyancing and Elderly Client matters.Ami-Jane Murphy. Ami-Jane is a Licenced Conveyancer. She specialises in Residential Conveyancing and has a particular expertise in new build properties.Rachael Higgins. Rachael is a Legal Executive and deals with Residential Conveyancing matters.Lauren Ward. Lauren is a Solicitor and deals with Residential Conveyancing.James Rock. James is a Trainee Solicitor dealing with Residential matters. James works under the close Supervision of Kim Kennedy and Hollie McGuckin.